Grab on to the treasure that is Christ, Pope teaches

Pope Francis has reminded pilgrims that Jesus is the "Pearl of Great Price."

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Pope Francis said in his reflection for Sunday Angelus yesterday that Jesus is the “Pearl of Great Price” spoken of in the Gospel Sunday, and that we need to reach for that great treasure of Christ. “He who knows Jesus, who encounters him personally, remains fascinated and attracted by so much kindness, so much truth, so much beauty, and everything in great humility and simplicity,” the Holy Father stated. “Look for Jesus, meet Jesus: this is the great treasure!” The Kingdom of God, the Pope said, can come “suddenly,” but it can also come to us after a long search for the truth. Both the farmer and the merchant give up all for the sake of the great treasure they have found in the two parables that Jesus shares.

“They do not need to reason, to think, to reflect: they realize immediately the incomparable value of what they have found, and are willing to lose everything to have it. So it is with the Kingdom of God. He who finds it has no doubts. He feels that this is what he was searching for, what he was looking for, and what responds to his most authentic aspirations,” the Pope explained, pointing out the lives of many saints who were lukewarm spiritually until they had an encounter with Christ. “The Gospel makes you recognize the true Jesus, it makes you recognize that Jesus is alive. It speaks to your heart and changes your life.”

The Holy Father again reminded Christians that they should read the Gospel every day.“Everything makes sense when there, in the Gospel, you can find this treasure, which Jesus called ‘the kingdom of God,’ that God who reigns in your life, in our lives. To read the Gospel is to find Jesus and to have this Christian joy, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit,” the Pope explained. “As we remember this tragic event, I hope that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated,” the Pope said. “I ask that you continue to join me in prayer that the Lord may grant the people and authorities of those areas the wisdom and strength needed to push ahead on the path of peace by addressing each dispute with the tenacity of dialogue and negotiation with the power of reconciliation.”

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David Oatney is an active Catholic in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee. He is a Past Grand Knight of Knights of Columbus Council 6730 and is a member of the RCIA team and is involved in religious education at his parish, St. Patrick's in Morristown.